You've All Asked, Sooooo.....

So other than, "Do you have your dates yet?", the question we get asked the most... "Will you change his name?"  The answer is yes.  We will change his name.  We have known his name for some time now, but have been keeping it a secret for a while - not sure why.  Maybe it's because things happen to disrupt adoptions all the time.  They just do.  So maybe we were keeping his name to ourselves in an effort to protect ourselves in the end, should the unthinkable happen.  I don't know.  But......

Tomorrow, while we sleep, our paperwork will make one last journey.  The contacts that our agency has on the ground in China will pick up a document called Article 5 from the US Consulate in Guangdong and forward it to the child welfare agency in Beijing.  The Article 5 is the US government's final approval of the adoption - showing that we have jumped through all the hoops, dotted all the i's, crossed all the t's, have all our ducks in a row, and that they are all quacking in unison.  Once the powers that be in Beijing receive our Article 5, they will issue our Travel Approval (TA), which is basically our official invitation to come get our boy!  We are sooo close!  Based on the processing trends of the last couple of weeks, I expect to get our TA early next week, and we hope to travel November 18th.  We were hoping for the 11th, but it's looking like the 18th is more likely.  

All of that to keep you caught up, but also to say that we think it's safe to say this thing IS HAPPENING.  So, without further ado.......

We will name our son Caleb Lewis Nixon.

Caleb, because it is our prayer for him that he will live his life with confidence in God's ability to overcome all obstacles on his behalf.  Also, that he would always have the courage to stand on what God has said regardless of the opposition.

Lewis is Jodie's dad's middle name.  This was chosen to honor God's redemption of Bill, and Jodie's relationship with him, and also looking forward to Caleb's own salvation and redemption.

We are super excited about all that God has planned for us and for Caleb.  This journey has been and continues to be one of faith, humility, and blessing.  We are honored to have been chosen as the family for such a remarkable boy, and we know without a doubt that he was hand picked for us.

So what are we doing while we wait?  (Besides biting fingernails, checking emails 1000 times per day, counting the days, hours, minutes....)

Happy Birthday to Caleb!!!!!

Last weekend our boy celebrated his 3rd birthday, so, of course, we did too!!!

Though we missed a few folks, it was so great to celebrate Caleb's birthday, and his becoming a Nixon, with the rest of our family.  What a blessing it is to have the support that we have.  It has been awesome to have watched the love for a child we haven't met develop in the hearts of everyone we hold dear to our hearts.  We are incredibly grateful.  So, Happy Birthday, Son!  We love you!!!

We did send him a package, but have no confirmation that he has received it yet.  In the package, we sent a Build-A-Bear doggy, a blanket, a Wolfpack hat, some art supplies, and some blocks.  We also sent a photo album with pictures of our family and his new house.

That's all for now.  Please keep praying with us over this journey.  Thank you for all your love and support.  It has meant the world to us.

Settlin in for Our Final Wait

Ha!  Yeah right!  There is nothing settling about this wait!  This is the wait that every adoptive family is waiting for!!!  The final wait - the one that ends with the official invitation from China to come get your child!  We are here!  I have finished all of my homework - nothing left to do but pack!  And while that is the greatest feeling of all, it's also so hard to know that all that stands between us and our son are a few more people shuffling a few papers around from one place to the next, and there is nothing we can do to speed it up.  But, there's plenty to do here, so I will be able to stay focused and busy on this side of the earth while I wait.

On a happy note, we got an update on him today.  Updates mean new pics!  Yay!  He seems so happy and healthy.  It did this momma's heart good to see them.  The updated file also says that he is doing great and it looks like he has grown a bit since December.  And now, we can get this kiddo clothed!!!!

I am overwhelmed with joy, excitement, and wonder!  But I am also finding myself in states of panic and anxiety.  Y'all, this is going to be SOOO HARD!!!  But, like Jodie keeps telling me, it's like a bandaid - it's best to just rip it off and keep moving on.

My words are few today, but only because my thoughts are everywhere!  They float from him, to the girls, to work, to my home, back to the girls, back to him, to that list of things in my head that has to get done, to that shopping list of things we have to purchase for our trip.  It's a lot!

Again, I thank you for your support.  And, again, I beg for your prayers as we prepare to go.  This wait will be the hardest.  This wait carries the most weight of all the waits.  This wait.....  Please continue to join us in prayer over all that is heading our way.

Love you all!


I'll leave you with a new pic of our little nugget: